Diffraction of Gas Atoms

A. I. Alekseev, David Parsons

P. L. Gould

V V Baturo, Vyacheslav Afanasievich Vinogradov, M. V. Platonova +2 more

A short-lived density grating is produced in a gas of lithium atoms. The gas is preliminarily cooled in a magnetooptical trap. The grating is formed due to diffraction of atoms on a standing light wave. The grating is observed from Bragg’s scattering of light from it. This method of formation and observation over the grating can be used in a lithium-based atomic interferometer.

V V Baturo, Vyacheslav Afanasievich Vinogradov, M. V. Platonova +2 more

Abstract A short-lived density grating is produced in a gas of lithium atoms. The gas is preliminarily cooled in a magnetooptical trap. The grating is formed due to diffraction of atoms on a standing light wave. The grating is observed from Bragg’s scattering of light from it. This method of formation and observation over the grating can be used in a lithium-based atomic interferometer.

Pierre Meystre

Walter, Christian

Rare-gas atoms are diffracted from nanostructured silicon nitride transmission gratings. From the relative intensities of the diffraction maxima the strength of the van der Waals potential between the atoms and the grating bars is inferred. The method is set out theoretically and is validated with the help of several sets of experimental data. The atom-surface potential of metastable helium and -neon is accurately measured for the first time. The atom-optical method is shown to bear a high potential for new versatile and even more accurate measurements of atom-surface potentials.